Hello Fellow Readers and Writers–
Well, I’ve been hard at work on my nonfiction book How To Write a Mystery Without Plotting It to Death. Happily, I’m through the major editing process, and only have the final line-edit to go. Then it’s back to the Two Old Biddies Mini-Mysteries. (The gals in my knit group are sure happy about that!)
I want to take a moment to discuss the “writing every day” thing. That’s fine advice, when you’re in the middle of a project. But here’s what I found. Anything related to writing counts as writing every day. That’s pre-planning your book, research (if you don’t get lost and onto another topic), writing the first draft, editing, typing up the corrections, making additions, the second edit, correcting more stuff, the final line-edit, marketing your books, and even blogging, just in case you were wondering. It all counts, because that’s what writers do. They don’t only physically write, they plan, edit, type, market, etc.
I keep a calendar with blank squares by my computer. Any day that I do something related to writing, I put a sticker on the calendar. My goal is at least 25 days out of the month. I don’t go for a time frame or a word/page count. It’s too stressful to meet any of those on some days, and too limiting on other days. I just work until I’m done, or my vision gets blurry, whichever comes first.
The stickers may seem silly, but it’s a visual reminder of how I’m sticking to my goals. You could just as easily put a check mark, but I like the color of the stickers. They’re “happy.” They make me happy. Give it a try, if you’re having trouble “writing” every day. Maybe you’re a colorful, visual person like me.
Well, back to work. Happy Reading and Writing to You All,
Jill-Ayn
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